Redskins Free Agency Updates
By Mark Solway | March 24th, 2007
The Washington Redskins re-signed veteran offensive lineman Todd Wade on Tuesday. Wade was originally allowed to test the free agent waters so that he could go somewhere where he would get an opportunity to start. With Jon Jansen and Chris Samuels on the roster, the opportunity in Washington seemed limited. When Derrick Dockery left for Buffalo and close to 50-million dollars, an opportunity came available again.
The Redskins are hoping that Wade can make the switch to guard and fill the hole that Dockery’s departure created. Though he’s the leading candidate to start the season at left guard, he has never played the position before. The 6’8″, 317 pound offensive lineman has played tackle exclusively in his seven-year NFL career.
Wade saw very limited action for the Redskins after being signed mainly for depth in 2006. He started just one game in relief of an injured Jon Jansen (against New Orleans), but was spectacular in that appearance. So spectacular in fact, that Washington knew that they wanted to retain him in 2007 if at all possible.
Before coming to Washington, Wade spent two seasons in Houston. He started the first nine games for the Texans in 2005 before a knee injury ended his season. The year before he started thirteen games (and played in fourteen).
He began his career in Miami after being drafted out of the University of Mississippi in the second round in 2000. He walked right on to the starting offensive line unit, and would start at tackle for the Dolphins for 63 of 64 games over the next four seasons.
Stoutmire Returns
On Wednesday, the Redskins re-signed veteran safety Omar Stoutmire. Stoutmire spent the 2005 season in Washington but was released in 2006. The New Orleans Saints picked him up last year for depth, but he ended up starting nine games. He had two interceptions, five pass defenses and 56 tackles in thirteen appearances.
Last year was only the second season in his ten-year NFL career that Stoutmire played outside the NFC East. He played his first two seasons in Dallas, then played with the New York Jets for a season, and then spent the next five seasons with the New York Giants before coming to Washington in 2005.
Stoutmire obviously knows Gregg Williams’ system and will be valuable insurance if Pierson Prioleau cannot return to one hundred percent from his 2006 injury.
Archuletta Traded
On Thursday, the Redskins announced that they had traded Adam Archuletta to the Bears for a sixth round draft pick. Washington apparently re-did his contract first to lessen the cap blow, and then shipped him off to re-join Lovie Smith in Chicago.
Archuletta’s 2006 season was a forgettable one, and after falling into the coaches’ doghouse early, he couldn’t wait to get out of D.C.
Washington salvages a sixth round pick from a very bad 2006 free agent decision, and will not have any dead cap in 2008 from the contract.
Patten Released
The Redskins also released wide receiver David Patten on Thursday.
Patten signed with the team in March of 2005, but failed to stay healthy long enough to make much of a contribution on the field. He had 22 catches and 2i7 yards in nine games in 2005 before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Last year, he nursed a hamstring injury all year long and finished with just one reception for 25 yards. He spent most of the year on the team’s inactive roster, but to his credit, was a team leader according to Joe Gibbs: “Despite battling through some injuries that limited his time on the field, he continued to serve as a leader on our team and was a positive influence on many of our players. We appreciate the contributions he made over the past two years.”
Patten has 259 receptions, 3,761 yards and 20 touchdowns in his ten NFL seasons.
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Mark Solway
